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Honda have tested a pitstop light system at the Japanese Grand Prix despite Formula One champions Ferrari suffering embarrassment with theirs in Singapore two weeks ago.

"The philosophy of the design is maybe fundamentally different to some of the others," Honda F1 chief executive Nick Fry told a news conference on Friday.

"The first emphasis is on safety and the second emphasis is obviously on performance. Our system is designed in such a way that if the fuel hose is not disconnected the car physically won't be able to move."

A bungled pitstop cost Ferrari's Felipe Massa a likely victory in Singapore, with the Brazilian having to stop after he pulled away with the fuel hose still connected.

Ferrari's overhead light system usually works automatically, a green light clearing the driver to leave the pits when the fuel hose is removed from the car.

In Singapore it was in manual mode, however, and the problems were blamed on a mechanic's error.

The blunder sent Massa from first to last and he finished out of the points in 13th, dealing his Formula One title hopes a severe blow. The Brazilian is seven points behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton with three races remaining.

The Italian team have reverted to the traditional 'lollipop', held by a team member in front of the car, at Fuji this weekend.

Fry ruled out Honda, who are hoping to be far more competitive in 2009 after struggling to score points all year, using their new system in a race this season.

"We're going to use the Fridays and maybe Saturdays over the next few races to practice," he said. "We don't have a safety concern given the philosophy, but we do want to use it extensively before we use it in anger."

(Source: Reuters)